Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-03-24

them slowly aDout the room. Tie looked
about the room, and saw that he was there in
his own bed. Then he perceived the gap
ing crew at the door and windows. He
frowned He turned his questioning eyes on
Shirley. These be the first words he spako
on returning TO consciousness. Let them be
dCly recoSled;
"Why is the house filed with this ungram-
matical packIn
ash, father" said Shirley, "they are the
neighbors, don't you seer
Shirley was extremely sensitive about hurt
ing peoples feelings. So was her father when
he was in his right mind. But now he was
only half in his right mind, consequently he
was off his guard and honest. He scanned
tie throng once more.
avery ignorant and uncultured persons
habitually hold their mouths open," said he,
slowly and solemnly. Turn them out, Shir
ley"
There is not a tragedy in life but has its
comic side Even Hamlet had his merry
| grdvedigger.
Col Carstone recovered, to all appear
ances, and went about as usual Shirley's
own little private grief had lost its sharpness
in the dread shadow of that other greater sor-
row which had passed so awfully near
them.
The girls mind ran once more on her poem.
Her father sympathized with her hopes and
ambitions entirely. He was her counselor
and confidant in all things. All things! Per-
haps there was just one little corner of her
heart that she kept veiled from him. Per-
haps, too, this adored and adoring father
knew more even about that little corner than
Shirley thought for.
There was something peculiarly beautiful
and touching in this love between father and
daughter. They were much alike. They
were of strong, intense nature, both, SO that
far more than the common tie between parent
and child bound them together, to begin.
But there was also superadded to this common
tie an intellectual good comradeship lacking
between most fathers and daughters. They
were very near to each other and very much
| to each other
II mean to study and practice writing for
two years, papa" said Shirley. When l am
18 l shall begin my poem 1t is to be all
about women. won't have a man in it, ex-
cept only just enough to hang the plot on.
I'm tired of reading about men and fighting
Women have been sighted in history and
poetry since the world began. Moderate
honors are suitable to women says Tiberius.
1t shall be SO no more. I will not have it so.
The hero of my poem shall be woman"
So the girl read and pondered, and dreamed
the days away. The poem took shape Her
heroine should be kingly woman, such as
tho world never saw before, but should see
many time hereafter, in the coming ages.
She should be woman, strong and shining,
head and shoulders above all the rest, like
| Agamemnon, king of men. Hawthorne alone,
of all the writers Shirley read, had felt the
thrill of her heroine's coming presence. Hes
ter, in the "Scarlet Letter." heard her ad'
vancing footsteps:
At some brighter period, when the world should
be ripe for it, in Heavens own time, a new truth
will be revealed in order to establish the whole
relation between man aud woman on surer
ground of mutual happiness. Tho angel
| and apostle of the coming revelation must be @
| woman indeed but lofty, pure and beautiful, and
wise, moreover, not through dusky grief, but the
ethereal medium of joy.
As Shirley read and thought, she was led
on to look deeper into the currents of human
existence. 1t came to her that Eer imagina-
ton would create beautiful life that should
be an eternal benediction to womankind
Women, the world over, would read the
poem, and this heroine of hers should be an
inspiration to them. The toilers, the troubled,
tho heart broken the weak among women
should gather strength and hopo from her
pages Her poenl-hers-Shirley's
sing strain of lofty music that would ring
around the world.
And thcn9
Youth is strong and fiery and elastic. Her
thoughts suddenly dived down into the veiled
corner of her heart. And they sang a song
that to her ear was as sweet as that which
should echo round the world. They sang
this:
Perhaps the master will hear it too, and
come back!